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Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 347
** ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * * ** ** * **Eany and Meany. Maggott's slugs. Villains: * Other Characters: * Bounty Hunters ** ** ** * * * * * *Violent locals in Pine Bluff. **Jep. Locations: * ** *** ** ***Pine Bluff. A small town. Items: * Spat's spear. Vehicles: * Royal Shi'ar spacecraft, "Fireclaw", personal transport of Deathbird. | Notes = *The "him" that Spat blames Gambit for joining is Mister Sinister. She also holds Gambit responsible for the Mutant Massacre. The implication is that her partnership with Gambit took place prior to the Massacre. *This issue is part of a storyline which works as an origin story for Gambit. It explores his connections with Mister Sinister and the Marauders, and reveals his role in the Mutant Massacre. The emphasis here is on his characterization and his relationship with Spat. *Spat seems to be a skilled fighter but only uses a spear and knife. She has no other weapons and no apparent powers. She may be human. *Grovel does not look human at all, though it is unclear if he is a sentient animal, an alien or something else. He has a giant body with claws, fangs, and tail that he can use as weapons. He does not appear to have actual powers. *This is the first and only appearance of Landscape. While the storyline continues until Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 350 (December, 1997), he is no longer among its cast members. *Despite Gambit's disparaging comments on the quality of Landscape as an ally, his powers of creating holographic environments seem genuinely impressive. His realistic illusions affect three separate groups of characters at a distance of three miles from himself. *The story repeatedly refers to the new environment of the X-Men as an alien planet, until it is revealed to be an illusion. However, the art does not really match the concept. It looks like an ordinary forest or jungle of Earth. *The issue marks the return of Nanny, the robot which was destroyed in X-Men Vol 1 113 (September, 1978). Her deactivated head was discovered by the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 149 (September, 1981) and clawed into pieces by Wolverine. Who managed to repair her was never really explained. *The mysterious employer of Grovel, Spat, and Landscape is the original Magneto, as revealed later in the storyline. He is mentioned but not actually seen in this issue. *While the location of the caves is not revealed in this issue, the rest of the storyline points that the X-Men are in Antarctica. *The storyline never really explains how and why did the Shi'ar stargate deliver the X-Men to the hands of the waiting Magneto and his hired help. Spat hints it was no coincidence, though Magneto could hardly be expected to know that Gambit was off-planet and heading to this particular stargate. *As of this issue, Bishop and Deathbird are no longer with the X-Men. The two remain in space and their subsequent adventures are covered in their own storyline. *The issue advances the storyline of Marrow. She wants to stop Operation:Zero Tolerance and Callisto advises her to help the X-Men. This leads Marrow to an alliance with Iceman. She eventually joins the X-Men herself. *This is the second appearance of Maggott, who is still searching for Joseph. His powers so far are the control of his scary-looking slugs. They seem capable of devouring metal and anything else. *Maggot manages to scare his would-be attackers without actually hurting anyone. Despite the cover hinting that he might be a new foe for the X-Men, the character does not seem villainous in the story. He was actually being prepared as a new member of the team. *The Marvel Chronology Project, which tracks character appearances, has the following information about the characters who are not members of the regular cast. **Callisto's next chronological appearance is in the second story of X-Men Unlimited Vol 1 18 (April, 1998). She then appears in X-Men Vol 2 72 (February, 1998). **Eany and Meany next appear in Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 349 (November, 1997). **Maggott next appears in Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 349 (November, 1997). **Marrow next appears in X-Men Vol 2 67 (September, 1997). **This is the first actual appearance of Spat. She makes one earlier chronological appearance in Gambit: From the Marvel Vault Vol 1 1 (October, 2011). **The flashback with the chained Angel chronologically takes place between Dazzler Vol 1 28 (September, 1983) and Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 169 (May, 1983). It is also the earliest chronological appearance of Marrow, as a young child. | Trivia = *Marvel produced toys of Grovel and Spat, despite the fact that the duo only a had a relative handful of appearances. The characters have their detractors and a small fanbase that finds them interesting. | Recommended = | Links = }}